TL;DR- Spent twice to get where I need to be with my cooling system. Thanks to all the people that document and post their experiences. Becoming a Supporting Member was a no-brainer for me.
When I bought my 2004 LJ late last year one of the items I noticed immediately was the plastic radiator tank was cracked and weeping coolant. Good negotiation point since I planned to refresh most of the cooling system.
I ordered up the parts right away. Mostly, upper shelf after-market. Hey, a water-pump that pumps more and an all metal, 3 core radiator! Classic coolant top off. This thing is run cooler than ice cube! I did use the slow flush method, and rinsed out the system really well.
All winter and spring it ran cool except one trip out in the desert. It was warm coming back home on the freeway, and a 30 mph headwind through the Whitewater area on I-10. Noticed the temperature gauge was a bit past the 210 mark. Plugged in my Bluetooth ODB2 dongle to read the actual temperature was at 225-230 degrees. I turned off the A/C and it got over the grade. The temp came down to a more manageable 208-215.
I bought a plug-in ODB2 gauge to monitor temp. I saw a lot over temps climbing higher as the weather continued to warm. Most of the higher temps came around when driving on freeway continued speeds above 50mph. The final straw, I was driving home on surface streets 92 degree ambient, and the aux. gauge cluster starts beeping at me a 230.
When I started to see the higher coolant temps, I started to read the many threads on cooling system refresh, Mopar parts, OAT coolant, etc. At first I was “Nah”, but as I continued to follow the success stories and watched my temps creep up.
I started to gather the parts.
Re-did the slow flush over a week. Then ripped through the swap after work one night. I did a few extras compared to last time: coolant temp sensor, and fan clutch.
Total cost of this adventure, $1179 (first time $514, second swing $664). I did a few extras the second time compared to first time: coolant temp sensor, and fan clutch. Plus re-used a bunch of the items hoses, radiator cap, belt and tension/idler pulleys. The difference to the forum suggested coolant refresh is really about $186.
So far it is running cool, 203-204 most of the time. Haven’t seen it above 208. The engineer in me wanted to replace one item at a time and test it on a loop. The mechanic in me said get it done in one. The mechanic is tougher and won.
A couple of things/observations-
I used the coolant tester (turkey baster) to empty the block. Jacking up the rear to tilt the engine forward helped. I also rinsed the heater core until clear, than blew out most of water. This all allowed me to reach the 50/50 coolant mix with pre-mix.
My overflow tank had some sludge in it. 20 years of dust or the PO using leak-stop, I don’t know but it has bothered me. I ended up using the coffee pot trick. Filled the tank with a bunch of ice and 1/3 cup of rock-salt. Then shook, swung and swished it for a handful of minutes until the sides and bottom were translucent. Filled with a bunch of hot water and drained to a clear-ish white bottle.
The non-Mopar setup seemed to keep the coolant temperature cooler at idle/off-idle/slow speed. But temperature would increase at higher rpms/continued load. The new Mopar system is opposite, the idle temps are higher, and freeway is lower. Overall the Mopar has been cooler overall so far. I will follow up if anything comes up.
Cheers
Steve
When I bought my 2004 LJ late last year one of the items I noticed immediately was the plastic radiator tank was cracked and weeping coolant. Good negotiation point since I planned to refresh most of the cooling system.
I ordered up the parts right away. Mostly, upper shelf after-market. Hey, a water-pump that pumps more and an all metal, 3 core radiator! Classic coolant top off. This thing is run cooler than ice cube! I did use the slow flush method, and rinsed out the system really well.
FlowKooler | Waterpump | 106.99 | |
CSF | 2578 | Radiator | 193.99 |
FOUR SEASONS | 85920 | Coolant Hose / Pipe | 9.50 |
GATES | 33009S | Thermostat | 4.93 |
GATES | CO34741 | Thermostat Housing / Water Outlet | 9.34 |
GATES | 22900 | Radiator Lower Hose | 10.90 |
GATES | 23183 | Radiator Upper Hose | 9.56 |
GATES | 19039 | Heater Hose / Pipe | 15.14 |
GATES | 19126 | Heater Hose / Pipe | 19.05 |
GATES | 90K38163 (90K-38163) | Belt Drive Component Kit | 57.79 |
GATES | K060882 | [Kit Component] Belt | 0.00 |
GATES | 38163 | [Kit Component] Belt Tensioner | 0.00 |
GATES | 38043 | [Kit Component] Idler Pulley | 0.00 |
MOPAR | 5010956AB (05010956AB) | Water Pump Gasket | 4.26 |
STANT | 10334 | Radiator Cap | 5.04 |
Prestone | | 35.97 | |
Shipping | Ground, Priority Mail | 39.96 | |
Tax | 35.16 | ||
Order Total | 514.59 |
All winter and spring it ran cool except one trip out in the desert. It was warm coming back home on the freeway, and a 30 mph headwind through the Whitewater area on I-10. Noticed the temperature gauge was a bit past the 210 mark. Plugged in my Bluetooth ODB2 dongle to read the actual temperature was at 225-230 degrees. I turned off the A/C and it got over the grade. The temp came down to a more manageable 208-215.
I bought a plug-in ODB2 gauge to monitor temp. I saw a lot over temps climbing higher as the weather continued to warm. Most of the higher temps came around when driving on freeway continued speeds above 50mph. The final straw, I was driving home on surface streets 92 degree ambient, and the aux. gauge cluster starts beeping at me a 230.
When I started to see the higher coolant temps, I started to read the many threads on cooling system refresh, Mopar parts, OAT coolant, etc. At first I was “Nah”, but as I continued to follow the success stories and watched my temps creep up.
I started to gather the parts.
Mopar | 5012366AF | Waterpump | 137.20 |
Mopar | 5503 7653AB | Radiator | 315.10 |
Mopar | 56027873 | Coolaant temp sensor | 55.77 |
Stant | 45359 | 195 thermostat | 8.84 |
Felpro | 35630 | thermostat housing gasket | 2.40 |
Hayden | 2791 | Fan clutch | 45.30 |
Zerex | | OAT Coolant Pre-Mixed | 51.00 |
Shipping | Amazon Prime | 0.00 | |
Tax | 49.25 | ||
Order Total | 664.86 |
Cost Difference | |
| Waterpump | 30.21 |
| Radiator | 121.11 |
| 195 thermostat | 3.91 |
| thermostat housing gasket | 2.40 |
| OAT Coolant Pre-Mixed | 15.03 |
Shipping | 0.00 |
Tax | 13.81 |
Order Total | 186.47 |
Re-did the slow flush over a week. Then ripped through the swap after work one night. I did a few extras compared to last time: coolant temp sensor, and fan clutch.
Total cost of this adventure, $1179 (first time $514, second swing $664). I did a few extras the second time compared to first time: coolant temp sensor, and fan clutch. Plus re-used a bunch of the items hoses, radiator cap, belt and tension/idler pulleys. The difference to the forum suggested coolant refresh is really about $186.
So far it is running cool, 203-204 most of the time. Haven’t seen it above 208. The engineer in me wanted to replace one item at a time and test it on a loop. The mechanic in me said get it done in one. The mechanic is tougher and won.
A couple of things/observations-
I used the coolant tester (turkey baster) to empty the block. Jacking up the rear to tilt the engine forward helped. I also rinsed the heater core until clear, than blew out most of water. This all allowed me to reach the 50/50 coolant mix with pre-mix.
My overflow tank had some sludge in it. 20 years of dust or the PO using leak-stop, I don’t know but it has bothered me. I ended up using the coffee pot trick. Filled the tank with a bunch of ice and 1/3 cup of rock-salt. Then shook, swung and swished it for a handful of minutes until the sides and bottom were translucent. Filled with a bunch of hot water and drained to a clear-ish white bottle.
The non-Mopar setup seemed to keep the coolant temperature cooler at idle/off-idle/slow speed. But temperature would increase at higher rpms/continued load. The new Mopar system is opposite, the idle temps are higher, and freeway is lower. Overall the Mopar has been cooler overall so far. I will follow up if anything comes up.
Cheers
Steve
